YSM News and Recognition

Katerina Politi, PhD, Joseph A. and Lucille K. Madri Professor of Pathology, has been appointed deputy director at Yale Cancer Center. Politi has served as co-leader of the Cancer Signaling Networks Research Program and scientific director of the Center for Thoracic Cancers. Her research focuses on lung cancer, with particular emphasis on understanding the molecular drivers of progression and the pathways that influence response and resistance to targeted therapies and immunotherapies. Politi is internationally recognized for her expertise in lung adenocarcinomas harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations.

Prashanth Vallabhajosyula, MD, MS, professor of cardiac surgery and surgical director of the Aortic Institute at the Yale New Haven Health Heart & Vascular Center, has been appointed to a three-year term on the board of directors of The Thoracic Surgery Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Vallabhajosyula performs the entire spectrum of heart surgeries, including coronary artery bypass grafting, valve surgery, and heart transplantation. His primary focus is endovascular and open surgeries of the aorta, and hybrid surgeries that combine the two.

Joe El-Khoury, PhD, professor of laboratory medicine, will serve as guest editor for a 2027 special issue on “Kidney Diseases” for Clinical Chemistry, the highest ranked journal in medical laboratory technology. El-Khoury, whose research focuses on identifying biomarkers for acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease, is also director of the Clinical Chemistry Laboratory and the Clinical Chemistry Fellowship Program at Yale New Haven Health.

Research by Matthew Girgenti, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, has been highlighted as a Top Achievement for 2025 by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF). The research, “Single-Cell Analysis Reveals Brain Changes Underlying PTSD,” was published in Nature on June 18, 2025. Girgenti’s study, empowered by the latest advances in genomic technology, has provided what is likely the most detailed account to date of molecular changes that take place in the brain when someone has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The journal Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy has selected an article authored by researchers at the Yale Child Study Center as one of two 2025 Articles of the Year—a designation based on a review of all articles published by the journal in 2024. Titled “Considering the How of SEL: A Framework for the Pedagogies of Social and Emotional Learning,” the article was authored by Almut K. Zieher, PhD, associate research scientist; Craig S. Bailey, PhD, assistant professor and director of early childhood in the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence; Christina Cipriano, PhD, MEd, associate professor; Michael J. Strambler, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and director of Child Wellbeing and Education Research; and two former Yale postgraduate associates, Tessa McNaboe, PhD, and Krista Smith, MAT.

Fourth-year hospital resident Dylan Heckscher, MD, was the inaugural winner of the new Department of Urology Ralph J. DeVito, MD, Surgical Skills Award, named after the longtime Yale urologic surgeon, who retired in August. Heckscher was the top scorer among his peers during the three-stage surgical skills challenge, involving a written exam, knot tying, and laparoscopic suturing.

Makoto Mori, MD, PhD, assistant professor of surgery, has received the 2026 Catalyst Award from The Thoracic Surgery Foundation, to support his research using AI to improve detection and treatment planning for mitral valve prolapse. Nationally recognized as an emerging leader in cardiothoracic surgery, Mori specializes in coronary revascularization, valve surgery, and advanced heart failure therapies, including heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support.

Adati Tarfa, PharmaD, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in the InSTRIDE Research Lab of Sandra Springer, MD, is one of six national recipients of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) Bridging the Gap Award. The award provides one year of funding to postdoctoral researchers and gives special consideration to projects addressing pressing social issues. Tarfa’s funded research advances pharmacy-based approaches to addressing HIV and substance use disorders.